Documented gang member sentenced to 176 years in prison

STOCKTON — A documented Stockton gang member was sentenced this week to 176 years to life in state prison for murder in the first degree in a deadly July 2015 shooting.

The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced 27-year-old Valentin Vivero’s sentencing on Wednesday.

Vivero was connected to a shooting that occurred shortly before 9 p.m. on July 13, 2015, in the 400 block of McCloud Avenue in central Stockton.

Five people were shot during a house party at the residence, including 41-year-old Ray Ortega, who died as a result of his injuries.

A total of 58 rounds of ammunition from high-powered rifles were used in the shooting, according to the news release. Ortega was a documented member of the South Side Stocktone gang.

At the time of the shooting, police told The Record that multiple gunmen in a dark-colored sport utility vehicle opened fire on the victims with handguns and long guns. Residents in the area said they heard many shots fired.

Vivero was arrested in September 2015 after a three-month investigation led by the Stockton Police Department’s Gang Violence Suppression Unit, in cooperation with the DA’s Office, California Department of Justice, Office of Correctional Safety, FBI, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

The operation resulted in 76 arrests, the DA said, including eight individuals believed to be leaders of the rival South Side Stocktones and the Triple Six Gangsters. Vivero is a documented gang member of the Triple Six Gangsters.

In March, Vivero was convicted by a jury of murder in the first degree, four counts of premeditated attempted murder and shooting at an occupied dwelling.

The jury also found both gun and gang enhancements.

Contact reporter Nicholas Filipas at (209) 546-8257 or nfilipas@recordnet.com. Follow him on recordnet.com/filipasblog or on Twitter @nicholasfilipas.